Pearl-coat-distributing machine



-SHEET l.

2 SHEETS Patented Aug. l, 1922.

W. D. WOOD. vPEARL ACOAT DISTRIBTING MACHINE.

APPLlcATloN man Moyne, 1919.

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`|`W. D. WOOD.

PEARL COAT DISTRIBUTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-26, i919.

Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

2 SHEETSfSHEET 2.

...Lunnnunnm In ventor WALTER D. WOOD, 0F CRANSTON, RI-IOIE ISLAND.

PEARL-COAT-DISTRIBUTNG MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 192,2.

Application iled November 26, r1919. Serial No. 340,846.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, WALTER D. lNooD, a

citizen of the United States, and resident ofl Edgewood, city ofCranston, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, haveinvented certain .new and useful Improvements in Pearl-Coat-DistributingMachines, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to a machine for and method of distributing` acoating substance over the surface of a body, to form artificial pearls;and the object of this invention is to provide means for mounting a beador body of an artificial pearl on a stem or holder and rotate theholdeigwhereby the pearl revolves about the axis of the holder. Afurther object of the invention is to mount the stem or holder insubstantially a horizontal plane and rotate the same with the beadthereon for the purpose of causing the solution which forms the coatingto How in a circular direction over the surface of the bead or bodyduring the process of dry- Vith these and other objects in view, theinvention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will.be more fully described, and particularlypointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure lisa side elevation of my improved machine which is adapted torotate and also move the work bodily while drying.

Figure Q.- is a plan view of the machine, showing a plurality of carrierblocks mounted in spaced apart relation in a machine, each receiving acombined rotating and traverse motion.

Figure 3 is an` end elevation on line 3 3 of Figure l.

Figure 4- is a. sectional side elevation on line l--t of Figure 2,showing the endless driving belt for imparting a traverse motion to thework.

Figure 5- is a. detailed side elevation sectioned on line 5--5 of Figurel, of one of the heads illustrating a carrier block mounted thereon; andshowing the construction whereby the carrier may be automaticallydischarged from engagement therewith at a predetermined point in itstravel.

Figure 6M is a view of the same head as illustrated in Figure 5, buttaken at a right angle thereto to further illustrate the mechanism fordischarging the carrier block from the head. f

Figure 7-- is a detail of the carrier block, showing the work mountedthereon.

Figure 8- is an enlarged view of one ofthe beads orbodies, showing thehole therein through which it is strung.

Figure 9- vis an end view of thel head member, showing the squaredendwhich receives the carrier block.

The feature of this invention is the provision of improved means in themanufacture of artificial pearls, to facilitate the method of handlingthe beads orbodies during the period of 4drying the coating sol-utionafter the` solution has been applied thereto. lin practice it isfound'that if the work after having been dipped in a coating solution,is set upright the solution ywhile drying will run from the upper sideof the pearldownto the lower side thereof forming an uneven coating or acoating which will not give the best lustrous effect to a pearl. Toobviate this difficulty,` l have provided means whereby after dippingthe pearl'body intoy the coating 4solution l am enabled to support thestem member on a horizontal plane and revolving the same continuouslyduring the drying operation, to cause the coating` to iow in a circulardirection about detailed description of one form ofv machine by which myimproved method may be carried outz- `With reference to the drawings, l0designates the frame ofthe machine, which may be made in anysuitableform in which frame f have mounted two continuous parallel.tracks l1 on opposite sides thereof and on one side of the machineadjacent the edge of one of these tracks and paralleling the same I havemounted a rack 12.

Midway v between these tracks I have mounted an endless belt 13 hereinshown in the form of a sprocket chain, the same running over suitablesprocket wheels la at opposite ends of 'the machine. The sprocket wheella at one endis mountedon a driving shaft l5 which impartsmotion to thisbelt through the driving pulley 16.

On these tracks I have mounted and spaced apart at intervals, aplurality of head members 17 whose axes are arranged to lie in ahorizontal plane.` Each of'these head members is provided with a sleeve18 having ears 19 which are connected to the sprocket 13 and within thissleeve is mounted a hollow shaft 20 squared at one end 36 and providedwith oppositely-disposed recesses 21 to "receive the carrier grippingsprings 22. On

the outside of this end of the shaft is mounted a sliding collar 23adapted to be actuated by the sliding spindle 25 mounted in this shaft.

TheA opposite end of this shaft is recessed to receive a coiled spring24 and this sliding spindle is slightly enlarged on its outer end I 1'26 against which enlargement the spring 2d presses to normally hold thespindle and its collar 23 in a withdrawn position.

- AThe front endof this spindle is provided with a transverselyVdisposed pin 27 which extends through a slot 28 in the shaft and engagesthe collar 23 whereby a forward movement of the spindle causes thecollar 23 to engage the carrier block 29 to force it from its positionon the squared end of the shaft.

v. .On this shaft 2O is mounted two rollers traveling belt.

The carrier block may be constructed in any suitable way but forconvenience l have *made the same of wood having a multi-`adaptedto'receive the ends of the holderY readily snapped onto the endof each travel plicity of holes 3ft drilled therein which are members 32on which the artificial pearl beads or bodies 33 are mounted.

This block is provided with a squared central opening 35 adapted to sliponto the correspondingly squared end 36 of the shaft 25 sothat thespring fingers 22 will engage,

bind'and hold the saine in position thereon. In this way each head iscaused to travel 'continuously about the endless tracks and ybesimultaneously rotated by engagement of its'gear 31 with the racky 12,which continues until the head comes opposite the wedge or camshapedmember 37 which engagesv the end 26 of the spindle and forces itinwardly to'discharge or disengage the ycarrier block from the head todrop down and be conducted away by any suitable iii/sans (not shown). Bythis construction of machine the carriers after havingbeen loaded withthe freshly coated work are ing head as it presents itself. Eachsuccessive `cluster of work on its `carrier is then revolved by the headaround the axes ofl the l carriers and'at the same time carried alongthrough the machine and by the time it has completed the rounds of theendless track it is vsufficiently dried, and as described above isautomatically removed from its head to make room for another, therebyproviding a continuous operation of spreading the coating solution overthe surface of the bead while drying. Y

rlhe improved method of coating pearls according to this inventionconsists in mounting the pearl bodies on the stems 32 by inserting thestem through the usual opening in the pearl bodies, then dipping thebodies into a suitable coating solution, then positioning the stems in asubstantially horizontal plane and rotating them in this plane, to causethe coating to flow, while drying, over the surface of the body mostexposed and subjected to kwear when the pearls are strung, therebyobtaining a better coating on said surfaces. The final step of thismethod consists in moving the body of the pearls, while being rotated,in a linear direction to facilitate drying.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention andthe best mode known to me for carrying out my method, l desire it to beunderstood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in ageneric and descriptive sense and not for the'purpose of limitation, the

scope of the invention being defined andv limited only by the terms ofthe appended claims. f

I claim:

1. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling` head, acarrier on the head on which a plurality' of pieces of work are adaptedto be mounted, means for causing said head to travel in a linear directioii and also impart a rotary motion to said carrier whereby thework travels with the head and is revolved around the axis of thecarrier, and means for automatically discharging said carrier fromsaidhead at a predetermined point in its travel.

2. In a pearl coat-distributing and drying machine, a continuousv track,an endless traveling belt, a plurality of heads moved by said beltlalong said ti'aclni'eleasable work carriers on the heads, means in saidheads for rotating said carriers, whereby 4the work is revolved aroundthe axes of the carriers, and means for automatically discharging thecarriers from said heads adjacent the starting point.

3. In a pear] ooat--distribiiting` machine, a continuous track, anendless traveling belt, a plurality of carrier heads moved by said belton said track, means for mounting` the work upon said heads,` meansI insaid heads for rotating the work, means for releasably mounting the'work upon said heads, and means including a rack and gear for positivelyrotating the work during thel forward motion of its carrier head, meansfor Vautomatically discharging'the work. from its head at apredetermined point in its travel.

isol

4. In a machine of the character deeling belt, a plurality of spacedapart work carrying heads moved by said belt with their axesv `disposedin a horizontal plane, means for mounting the work on said heads, afixed rack, a gear on said head engaging said rack to rotate the headand work while traveling, and means for automatically discharging thework from its head at a predetermined point in its travel.

5. A machine of the character described comprising an endless track, aplurality of spaced carrier heads mounted to move around said track,each of said heads comprising a shaft mounted in bearing rollers, saidrollers being in direct engagement with said track, an end of said shaftbeing adapted to receive a work-holder, a rack bar on the frame andco-extensive with said track, a gear fast to said shaft and meshing withsaid rack bar, whereby the shaft is rotated as the head travels oversaid track, and means moving said heads over said track.

6. A, machine of the character described comprising a frame having apair of spaced endless tracks thereon and running parallel with eachother, a shaft extending transversely across the frame and havingtraction rollers mounted thereon which engage said tracks, a sleevesurrounding the shaft and disposed between said rollers, an endless beltconnected with said sleeve for moving said shaft around said track, awork-holder removably secured to an end of said shaft, a gear fast onthe other end of the shaft, a rack on the frame co-extensive with saidtrack and with which said gear meshes, whereby the shaft is rotatedwhile it moves around the track.

7. A machine of the character described in claim 5, furthercharacterized by said work-holder being releasably secured on the shaft,a reciprocating bar within the shaft having one end thereof normallyyieldably held to project from the end thereof, the other end of the barhaving means to engage and eject the workholder from the end of theshaft, and-a trip device arranged to engage said outwardly projectingend of the bar at a predetermined point in the travel of said heads,whereby said bar is slidably actuated within said shaft and ejects saidworkholder.

S. ik machine of the character described in claim 5, furthercharacterized by the end of the shaft adapted to receive the workholderhaving resilient springs thereon lying substantially in a directionparallel with the shaft, a workholder adapted to be fitted over the endof the shaft, whereby said springs frictionally grip and releasablyretain it in position.

9. A machine Jof the character described comprising a frame having apair of spaced and endless tracks extending in a substantiallyhorizontalr direction, a plurality of carrier heads mounted in the frameto move ever said tracks, each of said heads comprising a shaft havingtraction rollers mounted thereon engaging said tracks, a pulley at eachend of said tracks, an endless belt passing over said pulleys andyhaving said heads connected thereto in spaced relation, means forimparting motion to said belt whereby the heads are moved around saidtracks, one end of said shafts of said heads projecting beyond the frameexterior of the machine, workholders receivable on said projecting endsof the shafts, and means for causing said shafts to rotate as the headstravel around said tracks.

l0. A machine of the charac-ter described in claim 9, furthercharacterized by a rack bar co-extensive with said track and arranged onthe machine adjacent the other end of said shafts of the heads, andgears on said other ends of each of said shafts meshing with said rackbar, whereby the shafts are rotated as the heads move around said track.

ll. A machine of the character described, comprising a traveling head, arotatable shaft on the head, a work holder releasably secured on theshaft, a reciprocating bar within the shaft having one end thereofnormally yieldably held to project from the end of thefshaft, the otherend of the bar having means to engage and release the work holder fromthe other end of the shaft, and a trip device arranged to engage saidoutwardly projecting end of the bar at a predetermined point in thetravel of said head, whereby said bar isslidably actuated withinv theshaft and releases said work holder.

1 2. A machine of the character described, comprising a traveling head,a rotatable shaft on the head, a work holder releasably secured on theshaft, a reciprocating bar within the shaft having one end thereofnormally yieldably held to project from the end of the shaft, the otherend of the shaft having resilient springs thereon lying substantially ina direction parallel to the shaft, a work holder' adapted to be fittedover the end of the shaft, whereby the springs frictionally grip andreleasably retain the work holder in position, and means engaging thesaid projecting end of the shaft for causing the same to move to releasesaid work holder from said head. j

18. A method of distributing a coating material over the surface of anartificial pearl, which consists in mounting the body member of thepearl on a stem, rotating said stem and body on substantially ahorizontal plane after'a coating solution has been applied thereto tocause the coating to flow, while drying, over the surface lof the bodymoet exposed and subjected to Wear, When coating to 'How while dryingover the surthe pearls are strung. i Y face of the body and movingvthebody 10 14a. An improved method of applying a through 'the air in alinear direction While coating materialto the surface of an artrotatingofacilitate drying, and spreading cial pearl, which consists 'in mountingthe the coating over the body. body member on a stem, in dipping thebody 1 n testimony whereof I aiX my signatur member into the coatingsolution, rotating the said stem and body member to cause the WALTER D.WOOD.

